Lotus T128 (Le Mans Prototype)

Lotus T128

Lotus T128 at the 2013 24 Hours of Le Mans
Category	Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2)
Constructor	Lotus (Adess AG and Kodewa)
Designer(s)	James Key
Technical specifications[1]
Chassis	Carbon fibre honeycomb monocoque
Suspension (front)	Independent double wishbone pushrod system
Suspension (rear)	Independent double wishbone pushrod system
Width	1,997 mm (78.6 in)
Engine	Praga 3.6 L (3,600 cc) 90-degree V8 Normally aspirated mid, longitudinally mounted
Transmission	Hewland TLSN 200 6-speed sequential manual Viscous mechanical locking differential
Fuel	petrol
Tires	Dunlop radial
Competition history
Notable entrants	Lotus
Notable drivers	Kevin Weeda James Rossiter Vitantonio Liuzzi Thomas Holzer
Debut	2013 6 Hours of Silverstone
Last event	2013 6 Hours of Bahrain
Races Wins Poles F/Laps 8 0 0 0
Constructors' Championships	0
Drivers' Championships	0

The Lotus T128 is a Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2) designed by former Sauber technical director James Key and built by Advanced Design and Engineering Systems Solutions (ADESS) and Kodewa. It was used by Kodewa in the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship under the name Lotus. Stéphane Chosse, the founder of ADESS, first proposed building a Le Mans prototype car in March 2011. The vehicle's construction began in February 2013, eleven months after Kodewa acquired two chassis. The T128's aerodynamic study was carried out using a computer-aided software mesh tool from Altair Engineering, and aerodynamics was the main priority in its design, with Chosse taking a similar approach as when he was involved in Formula One. It uses a naturally aspirated V8 engine from the BMW S65, which is also used in the company's M3 model, and produces around 450 horsepower (340 kW).

The programme was officially announced during the 2012 24 Hours of Le Mans race weekend, and its scheduled first test in December was delayed by seven weeks to allow for the installation of additional parts. Both cars failed to finish the season-opening 2013 6 Hours of Silverstone but finished in the top six at Spa-Francorchamps. A legal dispute over unpaid invoices arose during the 24 Hours of Le Mans, resulting in the cars being temporarily seized by bailiffs until a Le Mans court ordered their return after Lotus proved that the invoices were fictitious. Both cars failed to finish the race and the subsequent round in São Paulo. Lotus took their only podium of the season at the 6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas, but finished no higher than sixth in the final three races. The two T128s finished seventh and eighth in the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams. After the season, Lotus moved into LMP1 and replaced the T128s with a new car, the CLM P1/01.